Initial Post
Provide a clear rationale as to why social work evaluations lead to improving the services, we offer to various client systems. Use examples from your field placement (His House) that demonstrate the main points of your discussion. Be thorough and specific.
Response Post
Response Posts are due by Thursday 11:55pm eastern time.
Each of your two responses must be 150 – 250 words. Response posts must use at least one additional resource to support the post. Use APA formatting to list the references used at the bottom of your post. Be sure to use citations to show where the content is applied within the post.
Respond to the initial posts of at least two classmates.
Discuss a comparison of your classmate’s example and your own example. What are the similarities and differences and how are the differences accounted for? Discuss what the differences mean in context, so for example, would the examples work if reversed? Why or why not? Discussion 1:
Social work evaluations are essential to improving the services provided to various
clients we may encounter. Evaluations help social workers identify areas that may need
improvement, the effectiveness of interventions, and ensure that services are meeting
the needs of clients. In the behavioral health setting where I am currently doing my field
placement, social work evaluations are particularly important in helping clients with
mental health and substance abuse issues.
One way that social work evaluations lead to improving services is by providing
information on the effectiveness of interventions. “Mental health outcomes will need to
be assessed more routinely, and measurement-based care should become part of the
overall culture of the mental health care system” (Kilbourne et al., 2018). For example,
in my field placement I could evaluate the effectiveness of a group therapy session for
individuals with depression. By tracking client progress over time using the PHQ-9, I
could determine whether the therapy is helping clients achieve their treatment goals. If
the evaluation reveals that the therapy is not effective, I could modify the intervention to
better meet the needs of clients. This type of evaluation ensure that interventions are
evidence-based and effective. Using a “formative approach and integrating this valid
evaluation method we measure the extent that a program is reaching its intended
population and the extent to which its services match those that were intended to be
delivered” (Grinnell et al., 2019). Through the use of social work evaluations, we can
work towards providing comprehensive and effective services to our clients.
Grinnell, R. M., Gabor, P., & Unrau, Y. A. (2019). Program evaluation for Social
Workers: Foundations of evidence-based programs. Oxford University Press.
Kilbourne, A. M., Beck, K., Spaeth-Rublee, B., Ramanuj, P., O’Brien, R. W., Tomoyasu,
N., & Pincus, H. A. (2018). Measuring and improving the quality of Mental Health Care:
A Global Perspective. World Psychiatry, 17(1), 30–38.
https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20482
Discussion 2:
Toward Accountability: Introduction, Approaches and Types of Evaluation, and
Process
Social work evaluations lead to improving the services offered to various client systems.
While sometimes these evaluations do not help the specific client right away, they do
help both the client and the worker in the future as evaluations create theories, those
theories are carried out, and the end result of an effective treatment is obtained
(Grinnell, et al., 2019, p. 9). Evaluations help social workers determine who the best
clinician is to work with a specific client, what that social worker needs to do to help that
client, the setting that is most appropriate to the client specific to their wanted solution,
and what the best time-specific planner is to use with the client throughout their
treatment process (Grinnell, et al., 2019, p. 9). Evaluations help social workers to learn
more about their practice, it helps stakeholders to know how to manage and make
decisions in the future, and it is a great tool to use to understand if the client’s
expectations are met (Grinnell, et al., 2019, p. 18). All of this leads to a more positive
overall service to everyone involved (Grinnell, et al., 2019, p. 24). Evaluations are a way
that everyone involved is able to provide feedback so that change or continuation can
happen (Grinnell, et al., 2019, p. 27). Furthermore, in terms of evaluation, under the
NASW Code of Ethics (2021) 5.02 a, b, and c, social workers have the duty to evaluate
their performance, as well as the performance of others, in order to enhance social work
practice.
Main Points
The main points of evaluations are to provide a better understanding of what clients
need from their therapy process as a whole, a better understanding of the program in
general, a way to assess client’s reaction to the program, and a great way to see if the
program is effective or not (Grinnell, et al., 2019, p. 29). For example, Somerset Mental
Health (SMH) has all terminated clients complete an anonymous closing evaluation
which addresses the specific staff that worked with them, how they felt their needs were
met, and the agency as a whole. This allows for each, the client’s reaction, the
effectiveness of the agency and program, as well as the staff, to be evaluated so that if
change needs to be made, there is direction for the improvements. Also, SMH has staff
meetings on the first and third Tuesday of every month which includes supervision.
During this time, staff are able to give suggestions for the agency to better meet their
needs, and staff are able to share information about their clients (while being
confidential) to their colleagues, in order to gain a better understanding of what has
work/not worked in the past, as well as give an update so supervisors are aware of how
the agency’s clients are doing in regards to their therapeutic relationship with their
therapist, as well as the agency.
References
Grinnell, R. M., Gabor, P. A., & Unrau, Y. A. (2019). Program Evaluation for Social
Workers: Foundations of Evidence-Based Programs. Oxford University Press.
National Association of Social Workers. (2021). NASW code of ethics. Retrieved May
8, 2023, from https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-ofEthics-English.
Chapter 1
Introduction
The Faces of Accountability
Professional Accountability.
Service Delivery Accountability.
Coverage Accountability.
Cultural Accountability.
Fiscal Accountability.
Legal Accountability.
Stakeholders have an interest in the program
• The Council on Social Work Education
• The National Association of Social Workers
• Policy makers
• Funders
• General public
• Administrators and managers
• Social work practitioners
• Clients
Evaluation and Program Improvement
Builds knowledge
base
Provides reliable
guidance for
practice
Provides feedback
for program
improvement
Characteristic of Programs
Programs exist in their own environments
There are many ways to view a program; all involve an
environmental context
Relevant contexts include
Community
Political and fiscal
environments
Social environment
Evaluation Questions
There are many
questions that
could be asked
about any
program
The various
stakeholder
groups can all
be sources of
questions
It is desirable to
have a few wellfocused
questions
guiding an
evaluation
process
Focusing Evaluation
What data are needed to respond
to questions about accountability?
What data are needed to monitor
program performance?
What data are needed to make the
decisions you need to make
What is Evaluation?
The planned and systematic collection
of data to formally assess programs
In terms of their rationale, objectives
attainment, effects, impacts
And operational effectiveness
Purpose of Evaluation
To generate
information
to respond to
demands for
accountability
To monitor
performance
To obtain
information
about
program
effectiveness
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Formatting
Title Page
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